Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Ban Ki-moon formally appoints Espinosa to head UNFCCC

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has finally
appointed Patricia Espinosa from Mexico as the new Executive Secretary of the
United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Espinosa who did a great job in leading the
Cancun COP in 2010 takes over from the out-going UNFCCC Executive
Secretary Christiana Figueres who prepares to step down in July this year.

The ex-Mexican Foreign Minister's appointment
follows approval from the bureau of UNFCCC in Bonn Germany.

Christiana Figueres announced
recently she will be stepping down in July after the successful Paris climate
agreement to cut emissions.

The 59-year-old Costa Rican
Thursday welcomed Espinosa's appointment saying “I consider Patricia Espinosa the
right person at the right time for advancing the historic Paris Climate Change
Agreement”.

Figueres had earlier noted she
would not accept any extension of her term as head of the Bonn-based UN Climate
Change Secretariat after what she called the historic Paris Agreement.

“The journey that lies
ahead will require continued determination, ingenuity and, above all, our
collective sense of humanity and purpose,” she wrote in a letter to
governments, which agreed a goal in Paris to cut greenhouse gas emissions to
net zero by 2100.

According to UN
Climate Change Newsroom, Ms. Espinosa has more than 30 years of experience at
highest levels in international relations, specializing in climate change,
global governance, sustainable development and protection of human rights.

Since 2012, she
has been serving as Ambassador of Mexico to Germany, a position she also held
from 2001 to 2002. She previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Mexico from 2006 to 2012.

Story courtesy of UNFCCC .The Writer/Correspondent can be reached through;Email; kogallo2030@gmail.comMobile; +254-720504864